Japanese Food Lab Chef Series by Yoya Takahashi | Fish

As Executive Chef and Sushi Chef at Hamamatsu and Umi by Hamamatsu, Chef Takahashi is known for his expertise in Japanese cuisine, and also for his advocacy in promoting sustainable, locally sourced seafood.

In this workshop, Chef Takahashi will highlight the importance of sustainability and responsible fish farming while showing participants the basics of how to prepare Japanese fish dishes—from fileting fish using professional knife skills and techniques to pairing the finished dish with complimenting beverages and flavors. Chef Takahashi will teach participants how to truly appreciate fish—not only for its appeal in cuisine, but also for its role in how we should think about where our food comes from and our responsibility to make better choices that will help the environment.

Join us in this illuminating workshop as Chef Takahashi traces the journey of fish from the water to our plates, starting at the beginning with sustainably-caught fish to the end as it becomes a healthy meal to be shared with friends and family.

Registration

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*Participants must be 18 or older to join this workshop.

Chef Profile

Yoya Takahashi
Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Executive Sushi Chef Yoya Takahashi moved to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an actor like his grandfather before him in Japan. While making ends meet, he quickly found the comfort of home behind the sushi bar in Little Tokyo. While he had practiced the art of sushi in Japan, Takahashi met his mentor and his passion for sushi blossomed. His approach to food is deeply rooted in fresh, local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients, which have become the foundation of Takahashi’s personal style. In 2008 Takahashi seized the opportunity to stand behind the sushi bar at Makoto Okuwa’s Sashi in Manhattan Beach, showcasing the unique style he has spent years cultivating – a marriage between classical Japanese techniques and modern ones. Now at Hamasaku, as Executive Sushi Chef, he continues to create beautiful and whimsical sushi dishes while merely elevating and simply complementing the freshest and highest quality ingredients he can source.